The Old Church
TOOGOOLAWAH · QLD · HALFWAY ALONG THE RAIL TRAIL

Pull up out front.
The kettle's already on.

A 1945 church, now a home with vaulted ceilings, timber floors and two spare rooms with their own bathrooms. Hosted properly — by Ray, and by Doug, who will meet you at the gate.

See the two rooms Ask Ray about dates
1945
Built as a church
2 rooms
Each with its own bathroom
161 km
Of trail — we’re at the middle
3 Bays
Locked shed, e-bike sockets
1 Dog
Cavoodle. Doesn’t shed.

“I bought this place in 2026 for the tree change. Turns out the best part is the people who ride in dusty, eat too much at the pub, and leave as friends.”

Ray
Hosted accommodation, not a lockbox and a code. I'll be here and I'll know where the good coffee is.
THE STORY OF THE BUILDING

Built for a congregation.
Kept for the company.

From the street there’s not much evidence this was ever a church. Then you step through the door, high vaulted ceiling, lovely unfinished timber floors and the whole thing gives itself away at once.

It has been a lot of things to a lot of people. We’re just the latest chapter, and we like having the doors open again.

1945
A Christadelphian church
Built for the local congregation, in a town that turned out for each other.
2009
The doctors’ surgery
Pews out, partitions in, still the building the whole town came to.
2011
Somebody’s home
Converted to a private residence, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, one enormous ceiling.
2026
Ray’s chapter
A tree change, a corner block, a big shed — and two spare rooms pointed at the Rail Trail.
Everyone stops here. Every single time.
The floors are original. So are the creaks.
The Rooms

Two separate private rooms.

Each room has its own bathroom, air conditioning, a smart TV and a bed that’s either a king or two long singles, you tell me which before you arrive.

ROOM ONE

Lawrance Suite

$160
PER NIGHT
Under the high ceiling, first sun of the day

The big one, sitting under the church's original vaulted ceiling with arched windows either side. Quiet armchair in the corner for the part of the evening where you don't move.

King bed or two singles
Private ensuite
Air conditioning
Smart TV
Heritage vaulted ceiling
Tea, coffee & biscuits
View room & check dates
ROOM TWO

Launder Suite

$175
PER NIGHT
Private room with ensuite

Lovely large room and named after George Launder, the first station master at Toogoolawah and held the position for 34 years until his retirement where he remained in the town.

King bed or two singles
Private ensuite
Air conditioning
Smart TV
Heritage vaulted ceiling
Tea, coffee & biscuits
View room & check dates
A note on beds —
Both rooms can be made up as a king for couples, or split into two long singles for friends riding together. Nothing is locked in until you tell me, just say which when you write.
AVAILABILITY

What's already taken.

Each room, three months at a glance. The coloured bar under a date tells you which room is taken; a crossed-off date means the whole house is full. Nothing here is a booking form — find your dates, then write or call me.

Lawrance - $160 per night, Launder - $175 per night · breakfast included
November 2026
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Lawrance Suite booked
Launder Suite booked
Both taken — house is full
Lawrance Suite & enquiry form Launder Suite & enquiry form
If the dates you want are crossed off, contact me anyway — things move around, and I'd rather find you a night than have you ride past. — Ray
For Riders

You can see the trail
from the front gate.

Toogoolawah sits at the halfway mark of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, which makes this the natural place to break the ride. One street back from Cressbrook Street, in sight of the trail, with the shed unlocked for you and locked for the night.

The halfway point
161 km of trail from Wulkuraka to Yarraman, and we're sitting in the middle of it. Ride in from either end and stop here.
Three-bay secured locked shed
Fully secured, with a bank of power sockets along the wall — every e-bike in the group charges overnight, no queueing for one outlet.
Wash it, dry it, forget it
Hose at the shed for the bike, laundry for the kit, and a line in the sun that does its best work by lunchtime, or dryer if need be.
Your own bathroom
No sharing, no waiting, no queue behind someone who's been on a bike all day. A long hot shower is the whole point.
The fire pit
Where the day gets retold, generally with the hills a bit steeper than they were. Grab a takeaway from the pub and bring it out.
Wi-fi that reaches
Free, and it works out on the deck too — so you can plan tomorrow's leg without coming inside.
EATING HERE

Nobody rides all day and then cooks.

Breakfast is on me. Everything else, we sort out when you write — and half the time my honest advice is to walk up the street.

Breakfast

Included

Continental, and part of what you pay: tea, coffee, juice, granola, toast and a decent range of spreads. Eat it on the deck if the morning’s behaving.

Want the full cooked version before a long leg? Say so, small extra, worth it.

Dinner

Two Good Pubs

We’re one street back from the main street, so walk it. The Toogoolawah Hotel does a big choice of meals and plenty of it; the Exchange Hotel does wood-fired pizza. Both are where you’ll bump into other rail trailers.

Or bring a takeaway back and sit around the fire. If you’d rather not move at all, I’m happy to cook — extra cost, let’s talk.

Packed lunch

On Request

There’s not a lot between towns on some legs. Order the night before and it’ll be packed and waiting when you wheel the bike out.

Small extra on top of the room. Tell me about allergies and I’ll work around them.

Nothing here needs deciding now. Mention it when you write and we'll sort it out properly.
AROUND TOWN

Toogoolawah is small,
but it has plenty to offer.

A historic town with a rich past and a stubborn habit of keeping its good things going. Start with a stroll down Cressbrook Street — plaques on the walls tell you what each building used to be.

3 DOORS DOWN

Toogoolawah Pictures

Movies every second Saturday night at Alexandra Hall for ten dollars. Authentic canvas seats, a half-time interval, popcorn and hot dogs at the counter. Country charm, entirely unironic.

Genuinely one of the best nights in town.
ART GALLERY

The Condensery

Australia's first condensed milk factory, built in 1898 on Cressbrook Creek and sold to Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss in 1907. Production stopped in 1938; Somerset Council restored what remained in 2013 and won awards for it. Now the regional gallery, with exhibitions rotating through from around the state.

SHOPS

Dolly & Dust

Country clothing and accessories, carefully curated by Sammy — a lovely lady who very obviously loves what she does.

Go in for a look, leave with something.
GALLERY + ANTIQUES

Two Gallahs & Old School Antiques

Local talent across painting, ceramics and fabrics, sharing the space with an antiques dealer who always has something odd and interesting in the corner.

COFFEE

Three places, one street

The Coffee Shack · The Picnic Society · Have a Chat Cafe. All walkable, all worth it.

Ask me which one's on today — it varies.
4 KM OUT

Cumquats Australia

A working family farm with over 500 cumquat trees, a ginger crop, a distillery and a farm shop. Yes, you can taste things. Yes, people come back with a bottle.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Historical Society

Set up in the old railway station. The volunteers there know more about this valley than any website will ever tell you, and they're delighted to be asked.

FREE, 20 MINUTES

The Cressbrook Street walk

Plaques on the shopfronts, each one with the building's history on it. Do it on the way to dinner and you'll arrive knowing the town.

There's usually something on that isn't listed anywhere. Ask me the night you arrive.
— Ray

Local pool

Located 400m away, cool off after a day in the saddle.
THE EVENING

The best bit isn't the ride.
It's the hour after it.

Shower, clean clothes, a chair by the fire and nowhere else to be. Large decks front and back, a proper lounge room if the weather turns, and Doug making the rounds in case anyone wants a cuddle.

—Large decks, both ends of the house
—Shared lounge, warm and comfortable
—Fire pit, with wood, for the cooler months
—Laundry, and a line that dries kit fast
—Free wi-fi that reaches outside
—Off-street parking behind the gate
YOUR HOSTS

Ray.
And Doug.

Hi. I’m Ray. I came up here in 2026 for a tree change and bought a church, which is not the sensible version of a tree change but is definitely the better one.

I love a community lifestyle.  I know which pub has the pizza, which morning the gallery changes over, and roughly what the trail’s like between here and Moore. That’s the sort of thing I’d rather hand over in person than have you piece together from an app.

Which is why there’s no instant booking here. Write to me, tell me your dates and how you’d like the beds, and we’ll sort the rest out between us — meals, arrival time, where to put the bikes. No deposit, no app, no lockbox.

Ray
Doug insisted on being in this one.
Doug, Chief Greeter
Cavoodle. Non-shedding, considerably more photogenic than me, and a firm believer that every arriving cyclist is here specifically to see him.
GET IN TOUCH

Tell me when,
and I'll tell you yes.

No payment up front and no booking app in the middle. Send me a message with your dates and I’ll come back to you within a day, usually much sooner. Once we’ve agreed the details I’ll hold the room for you.

WHERE

Toogoolawah, Brisbane Valley QLD
One street back from Cressbrook Street, in sight of the trail

CALL OR TEXT RAY

0475 182 314
contact@toogoolawaholdchurch.com.au

RATE

Lawrance – $160 per night, Launder – $175 per night
Breakfast included · meals extra by arrangement

FIND US ALSO

BVRT trail notes · Toogoolawah & Esk visitor information centres

Send an enquiry

No payment required — this just starts the conversation. Select which room you’d like to enquire about.

Skip Booking Form
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Available
Booked
Start Date:
-
End Date:
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Enquire about this room

$150 per night, breakfast included. No deposit — we'll settle beds, meals and arrival between us.

Meals (all optional)
Skip Booking Form
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Available
Booked
Start Date:
-
End Date:
-

Enquire about this room

$150 per night, breakfast included. No deposit — we'll settle beds, meals and arrival between us.

Meals (all optional)